Dawud and Colleen Burke are the parents of David Anthony Burke, the singer and musician known as d4vd, who was arrested in April 2026 and charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Since the arrest, the Burkes have publicly declared their son innocent, fought grand jury subpoenas seeking their testimony, and become a distinct legal presence in the case, represented by their own attorney and separate from their son’s defense team.
Who Dawud and Colleen Burke Are
The Burkes raised David in a devout Christian household, first in Queens, New York, and later in Houston, Texas.1The Line of Best Fit. d4vd: Glorious Imaginarium Faith shaped much of his childhood. He was permitted to listen only to gospel and jazz until around age 13 and stayed active in his church choir.2Pollstar. How d4vd Went From Fortnite to a Billion Streams David was homeschooled beginning in the eighth grade.
Colleen Burke had a direct hand in her son’s music career. When his YouTube gaming channel, which had built roughly 50,000 subscribers on Fortnite montages, started drawing copyright strikes for the background music he used, Colleen suggested he write his own songs instead.1The Line of Best Fit. d4vd: Glorious Imaginarium That suggestion led him to the music-production app BandLab and eventually to a recording career that generated over a billion streams. Court-related reporting has described Colleen as “instrumental in the singer’s career” and as the person who manages his business finances.3CBS News. d4vd Family Grand Jury Los Angeles Celeste Rivas
Their Response to the Arrest
Within a day of David’s April 16, 2026 arrest, the Burkes issued a statement through their Texas attorney, Kent A. Schaffer. “The parents are sad and disappointed that David was arrested, however, they fully stand behind him and believe that he is innocent. They fully support him,” the statement read.4Rolling Stone. d4vd Parents Arrest Celeste Rivas Schaffer told reporters the Burkes had been “well aware this was a strong possibility” because investigators had considered David a suspect for months, and said they planned to travel to Los Angeles to support him.5TMZ. d4vd Parents Not Surprised by Arrest
On the prosecution’s push for their testimony, Schaffer was blunt. “If the D.A. needs parents to testify, then they have no case,” he said. “In my opinion, they’re just doing that for harassment purposes.”5TMZ. d4vd Parents Not Surprised by Arrest
The Grand Jury Subpoena Fight
Before the arrest, Dawud and Colleen Burke, along with David’s brother Caleb, were already in a legal battle over grand jury subpoenas. Between November 2025 and February 2026, Los Angeles prosecutors convened three investigative grand juries, used to compel testimony rather than to seek indictments, as part of the murder investigation.6ABC News. d4vd Murder Case Timeline Subpoenas issued in January 2026 directed the Burkes, all Texas residents, to travel to California to testify.7ABC7. Singer d4vd Charged With Murder Timeline
All three fought the subpoenas. Their arguments were rooted in due process: portions of the supporting affidavits had been redacted, they were never told why they were considered key witnesses, and they were denied a chance to challenge that designation.8Chosun. d4vd Family Grand Jury Subpoena Challenge They filed petitions for writs of habeas corpus in Texas courts, asking judges to overturn a lower-court ruling that required compliance with the California subpoenas.
On February 9, 2026, the Texas First District Court of Appeals rejected those three petitions.8Chosun. d4vd Family Grand Jury Subpoena Challenge The case was reheard later that month and the matter continued on appeal. On April 30, 2026, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied the applications filed by Dawud and Colleen Burke, concluding the cases were moot, likely because the grand jury proceedings had ended or the subpoenas had expired. Judge Schenck dissented, arguing the issue was “capable of repetition, yet evading review” and that the court should have reached the merits.9FindLaw. Ex Parte Dawud Burke and Colleen Burke
The September 2025 Property Transfer
Reporting has drawn attention to a real-estate move made the same month Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains were discovered. In September 2025, David Burke transferred ownership of two of his Texas homes into Colleen Burke’s name.5TMZ. d4vd Parents Not Surprised by Arrest The timing has drawn public scrutiny. No charges or formal allegations have been filed in connection with the transfers.
Separate Legal Representation
The Burkes’ attorney, Kent Schaffer, handles the family’s legal matters separately from the defense team representing their son, which is led by attorneys Blair Berk, Regina Peter, and Marilyn Bednarski.4Rolling Stone. d4vd Parents Arrest Celeste Rivas That split matters because the parents are witnesses the prosecution has sought to compel, not defendants, and their legal exposure and interests are distinct from David’s.
Where the Case Stands
David Burke was arraigned on April 20, 2026, pleaded not guilty, and is being held without bail.10PBS NewsHour. Judge Sets Date for Evidence Against Singer d4vd As of mid-June 2026, the preliminary hearing had been postponed three times, most recently from June 29 to July 21, 2026, in part because of the volume of evidence.11USA Today. d4vd Case News Updates No grand jury indictment has been returned; prosecutors filed the charges directly.6ABC News. d4vd Murder Case Timeline Whether Dawud and Colleen Burke will ultimately testify, and in what forum, remains open.